Spring gardens up-springing

My angelica (left) and betony (right) are much happier in their new place in the yard. They are both forest plants and need a bit of shade and a bit of sun. It's too dark for many flowers and herbs in that area, but they're happier than ever.

Kale (the sprouts) and winter savoury (the herb with dark leaves at the top). I'll need to thin out the kale a bit eventually. I didn't expect the seeds to be so prolific after a couple years of hanging out in my seed box.

 My first garden from last year. I have a second row of lasagna garden to the right of it now. It's settling in and getting ready to be planted. (My birthday gift)

The blueberry bushes seem to have survived the minor depredations of a rabbit over the winter.

The flax is coming up nicely.

Meadowsweet (top) and horehound (front)

The sweet violets and strawberries are doing fine even though Stew the squirrel uprooted one.

Columbine

Columbine (left), beebalm (center), and beardtongue (bottom) are all well-loved by pollinators. They were part of my birthday gift. I was tired of having a barren wasteland of lawn out front. Going to the garden centre was part of my gift. I love the way it smells. I think the added oxygen in the atmosphere gives me a bit of a high, actually. Or, maybe I'm just kinda crazy and love plants that much...
It's been raining for the past week straight. Yesterday the sun finally came out, and it continues today, although it did go down below zero last night (Celsius not Farenheit). I'm hoping my plants did okay. I was so tired I forgot to cover them. Oops.

Bee balm

Beardtongue

Herbal hot chocolate

Herbal Hot Chocolate 

• 3 oz really good chocolate (the best you can afford)
• 2c milk of your choice (cow, almond, rice, coconut, etc)
• 1/4c cream (optional- cow or coconut)
• 2tsp dried herbs (combinations suggested below, or experiment)

Method

• Put your milk and herbs in a small sauce pan and heat gently and slowly (you don't want to scorch the milk and have it stick to the bottom of the pan
• Take it off the heat and let it cool while you chop the chocolate
• Strain the herbs out of the milk and back into the sauce pan. Add the chocolate.
• Heat again very slowly and over a low heat. The chocolate will melt. Whisk very frequently.
• Pour into a mug when it is quite warm to the touch, but not boiling.

List of good herbs and other ingredients- mint, bee balm, lemon balm, lemon verbena, sweet violet, rose, citrus (from organic peels), ginger, lavender, raspberry leaves

Herb combination suggestions- White chocolate and lavender, milk chocolate with citrus and ginger, white chocolate with sweet violet and rose, dark chocolate with raspberry leaves and mint, dark chocolate with lemon balm and ginger.

Hopefully this will help you get through the long, dark teatime of the soul in January and February... Along with garden catalogues.